Boundaries and Voice: Maintaining Discipline and Fostering Civic Capacities

• In Event: Beyond Test Scores: The Civic Implications of No-Excuses Charter Schools

Abstract

This proposed presentation is part of a mixed-methods study that looks at the civic opportunities and related capacities of high school students attending charter and district schools in the same neighborhood. Our focus here will be on the students in the CMO-operated ‘no excuses’ charter school, and is the result of observations and interviews during the 2014-15 school year.

‘No-excuses’ charter schools purport to operate ‘as if every second counts,’ focusing the hours available to them fully on instruction. Their expressed goal is to prepare their students for post-secondary opportunities by making sure that they all perform at least at grade level in the key subject areas. The success of this effort aside, it has the potential to stand in tension with an equally important goal of schooling, namely, the preparation of effective and responsible citizens (Ben-Porath 2013; Goodman 2013; Golann 2015). For students to develop some key civic capacities such as critical thinking, respect for others and an independent voice they need to be exposed to civic opportunities through repeated exposure in the curriculum, pedagogical approaches as well as extra-curricular activities (Hess and McAvoy 2014; Torney Purta et.al. 2001; Youniss 2011). However, having the basic knowledge and learning skills is similarly necessary to operate as a responsible citizen, and a sense of efficacy can possibly arise from academic success.

Here we aim to look at the strict boundaries set in one ‘no excuses’ charter school and at some of the opportunities of which students avail themselves to develop voice, criticize authority or practice personal expression within these boundaries.

Our field observations note that the intense focus on not wasting instructional time creates moments of tension for students who may want to express themselves differently than what the teacher envisions. For example, we have observed teachers allocate 60 seconds for their students to discuss difficult questions, such as what they would have done if they were Malcolm X. Their expectation is that students be silent when the buzzer rings. Some students are so moved by the question that they continue talking after the buzzer, and are scolded because they are not staying within the strict time frame.

Furthermore, in this ‘no excuses’ school, often teachers require their students to repeat a class call-and-response in order to both build spirit and capture attention. Some students choose not to repeat the spirited chant, opting to sit quietly and attentively, resulting in a lowered grade for non-compliance.

These are two examples of many that have raised questions about the intersection of time, boundaries, and voice at this ‘no excuses’ school. What are the civic implications when students are reprimanded for being passionate about an important topic, especially when given limited time constraints? What is the civic message sent to students who are penalized for not complying with spirit-building exercises (without being disruptive)? This paper will discuss these and related examples in the context of analyzing civic opportunities in a ‘no-excuses’ context.

Authors

• Sigal Raday Ben-Porath, University of Pennsylvania

• Nimet Suheyla Eren, University of Pennsylvania